Bandarpunch Base Camp Trek

This eight-day approach to the base of Bandarpunch takes a deliberately different line from the more commonly trekked Har Ki Dun and Ruinsara route, branching instead toward the Son Gad valley to reach the mountain's glacier system from the side facing the Yamunotri watershed, a genuinely quieter approach used by relatively few trekking groups each season. After the drive from Sankri to Taluka, the trail follows the Son Gad tributary rather than continuing along the main Supin river, cutting through dense pine and deodar forest that shows considerably less foot traffic than the well-worn path toward Osla just a valley over. The Son Gad itself runs fast and clear through this stretch, its water considerably less silted than the more heavily glacial-fed streams encountered higher up, and several small wooden bridges carry the trail across side tributaries feeding in from steep, forested slopes on either side. Wildlife signs are notably frequent through this quieter valley, with fresh markings suggesting Himalayan black bear activity in the denser forest sections, and birdlife including various pheasant species calls regularly from the undergrowth. Gangad, a modest forest clearing used historically by shepherds moving flocks toward higher pasture, offers the first night's camp, chosen for its combination of reliable water and reasonable shelter from wind funnelling down the narrowing valley above. The guide team uses the evening to explain how this Son Gad approach eventually connects with the historic route toward Bandarpunch's Chaiyaan glacier system, distinct from the Ruinsara-Kyarkoti approach used for the neighbouring Black Peak, and to outline the Khagi Pass crossing that awaits tomorrow as the first genuine test of the trek. Cold settles in early at this forest camp, and the relative quiet of the surrounding valley, undisturbed by any other trekking groups, sets a distinctly remote tone from the very first night.

Today introduces the trek's first genuine test, a steep climb through progressively thinning forest toward Khagi Pass, a minor but demanding crossing at just over eleven thousand feet that separates the Son Gad drainage from the valley system leading more directly toward Bandarpunch's southern glaciers. The climb switchbacks steadily through mixed conifer forest before breaking into open alpine scrub in the final stretch below the pass, and the effort required, while not technical in any mountaineering sense, is sustained enough to properly test legs on tired ground after yesterday's opening day. Cresting Khagi Pass delivers the trek's first proper view of Bandarpunch's broad, glaciated massif, its multiple summits including both the main peak and the slightly lower western summit visible together for the first time, alongside more distant sightlines toward the Gangotri group's peaks on exceptionally clear mornings. The pass itself, while modest compared to the far higher technical crossings attempted elsewhere in this region, offers a genuinely commanding panorama given its position at the head of two distinct valley systems. The descent beyond the pass drops steadily through forest that regrows in density as elevation is lost, and Forest Camp, the day's destination, sits on a pleasant wooded shelf near the point where this trail eventually meets the Chaiyaan Gad drainage descending from Bandarpunch's glacier system directly. Shepherds occasionally camp near this same clearing with their flocks during the height of summer, and the relatively comfortable, sheltered setting offers a welcome contrast to the exposed pass crossed earlier in the day. The guide team uses the evening to brief the group on tomorrow's longer push toward base camp itself, emphasising that the terrain beyond this point grows increasingly bare and glacially influenced with every kilometre gained.